It was around midnight following a Triple-A game in June when Leo Mazzone's phone unexpectedly rang.

Bobby Cox, a longtime friend, was calling.

"Can you be in Atlanta tomorrow at noon?" Cox asked.

Mazzone wondered why.

"You're the major league pitching coach," Cox said. "Now, don't go (bleepin) nuts. I know how crazy you are. But you've earned it."

So began one of the most successful manager-coach tandems in baseball history.

Cox, who was serving as general manager of the Braves, fired Russ Nixon and named himself the skipper in 1990. Mazzone became Cox's right-hand man, forever linked with a fabled staff.

What followed were 14 consecutive division titles, five 100-win seasons and one World Series championship.

Three core members of those teams, Cox and pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in June.

Mazzone, the blunt, gregarious and sometimes profane pitching guru, was an unknown minor league lifer who proved he could connect with superstars and keep them on course.

Cox and Mazzone's relationship dated to 1979, when the former left-handed starter threw batting practice during Cox's first stint as manager.

By the time Cox became GM in 1986, Mazzone had a reputation for developing young arms. He helped John Smoltz, Steve Avery, Kent Mercker and many others reach the big leagues.

Cox promoted Mazzone so he could continue to work with those players.

"I think what separated Bobby is how he treated people," said Mazzone, who spoke Thursday at the Reading Hot Stovers 53rd annual banquet. "He had the greatest influence on me of any man other than my father. He gave me the opportunity. I'll never forget that. It was the greatest 16 years of my life."

Mazzone was suddenly in charge of an immensely talented group.

Glavine and Smoltz, another possible Hall of Famer, were just starting their careers in 1990. Three years later, Maddux came over from the Chicago Cubs.

Mazzone knew how to get the best out of everyone. Glavine could take tough criticism. Smoltz needed a lighter approach. Maddux just wanted answers, not a coach who sat on the fence.

"I have a degree in psychology and I never went to college," Mazzone said. "You understand the individuals and how firm you can be."

Following Mazzone's guidelines to throw frequently between starts and relying on his knack for fine-tuning approaches, the Braves enjoyed a glorious era thanks to star pitchers who were durable.

His frantic gum chewing and constant rocking back and forth in the dugout became part of Braves lore.

"You know what the mark of a good pitching coaching is?" Mazzone said. "You don't (mess) up a great pitcher."

Mazzone left the Braves following the 2005 season when he received a lucrative offer to become pitching coach with the Baltimore Orioles. He was fired in 2007 with a year left on his deal.

The 65-year-old West Virginia native has been out of the game ever since. He lives in Georgia, where he works for the Braves' TV pregame and hosts a radio talk show.

Although he'd jump at the chance to coach again, Mazzone recognizes it's not likely. He bought a retirement home in Lake Hartwell, near the South Carolina-Georgia border.

Mazzone said his first year out of uniform was difficult and he dealt with depression. Today he's content with his 42 years in baseball.

Those seasons on Cox's staff were the highlight.

"I'm at peace with the fact that it was the greatest time you could possibly have as a pitching coach," Mazzone said. "The greatest run in the history of the game. I got to live out all my childhood dreams."